Chocolate traybake
This deliciously moist chocolate traybake (chocolate sheet cake) is a super simple bake kids will love. It’s perfect for cake sales or any special occasion
This chocolate traybake (chocolate sheet cake) is deliciously moist and really easy to bake making it a great recipe for kids to make.
Chocolate traybakes are the perfect alternative for a children’s birthday cake. Not only are they easy to make, they’re easy to divide and portion which also makes them great for bake sales or coffee mornings.
You can decorate the traybake with colourful Smarties, sprinkles or other sweets if it’s for kids. Alternatively, make a grown up version with chocolate shavings or chocolate chips to decorate.
What is a traybake?
Traybakes are basically anything baked or set in a square or rectangular baking tin and cut into individual pieces. It includes things like blondies, brownies or rocky roads. This recipe for chocolate traybake in the USA or other parts of the world might be called a chocolate sheet cake.
Check out some of our other popular traybake recipes:
Vanilla traybake
Apple traybake
Banana traybake
Chocolate brownies
Biscoff traybake
What is the difference between a tray bake (sheet cake) and a regular cake?
There’s not a lot of difference between regular cakes and sheet cakes/tray-baked cakes. The main difference is the shape, with sheet cakes often baked in 9x13inch or 23×33 cm baking tins while cakes are made in round cake tins.
The shape of sheet cakes / traybakes means they are east to cut into regular sized portions making them perfect for special occasions and cake sales.
If you’d like to try a round chocolate cake instead, why not try our easy chocolate fudge cake, based on a classic Mary Berry recipe.
Can you freeze a chocolate traybake?
Yes. The traybake freezes well if you do it before adding the icing. Simply wrap it well in cling film, either as a whole, or in idividual portions and pop it in a freezer bag. It’ll keep for a few months.
How do you store the chocolate traybake?
Once it’s been iced you can keep the traybake in an airtight container somewhere cool for a few days.
How can kids help make the chocolate traybake?
Traybakes are a great bake for kids as they’re so easy. Kids can help measure out the ingredients and mix them all together. Everything just gets mixed together in one bowl in this recipe which is perfect for kids. It also means you don’t need any mixers or special equipment – a large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon will do.
It’s also a really simple cake to decorate. Simply pour the icing on top and get your kids to add sprinkles and Smarties or sweets until their heart’s content!
Other chocolate cake recipes
If you liked this chocolate traybake you’ll love some of our other easy cakes and cupcakes:
Chocolate fudge cake
Boston cream pie
Nutella cupcakes
Easy chocolate cupcakes
Chocolate loaf cake
Easy chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache
Chocolate Victoria sponge
Biscoff brownies
Chocolate fudge cupcakes
Biscoff traybake
Tottenham cake
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this chocolate traybake
Digital scales
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
23 x 30cm baking tin
Wire rack
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Ingredients
250g (2 cups) plain / all-purpose flour
80g (1 cup) cocoa powder
3 tsp baking powder
300g (1 ½ cups) soft light brown sugar
190ml (¾ cups) sunflower oil
350ml (1 ½ cups) milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
For the icing
150g (2/3 cups) butter
200g (1 cup) icing / confectioners sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk
How to make the chocolate traybake
Heat your oven to 180C / 160C Fan / 350F
Grease the base and sides of a 33 x 23 cm (9 x 12 inch) baking tin with sides at least 6 cm or 2 inches high and line it with baking /greaseproof paper.
Mix the dry ingredients together
Get your kids to measure out the flour, cocoa powder and sugar and add them to a large mixing bowl.
Get your kids to measure the baking powder. Make sure they use their finger to level off the top of each tea spoon before adding it.
Give it all a good mix.
Add the wet ingredients.
Measure out the oil. We find the easiest way of doing this and to be really accurate is to use the ml setting of our digital scales, but if you don’t have any, a measuring jug will do.
Reset your scales to zero and measure the milk. Or, if you’re using a measuring jug, you can add the milk on top of the oil until you have 540ml in total.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl. If any shell goes in, fish it out with a larger piece of shell – it’s easier than using your finger. Add the eggs to your oil/milk.
Finally, measure in the vanilla. You can either hold the spoon while your kids pour in the vanilla or vice versa (or your kids can do both if they’re old enough).
Whisk the oil/milk/eggs and vanilla together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients slowly and get your kids to slowly mix it in.
Keep stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon until you have a nice smooth, glossy cake batter with no bits of flour showing.
Bake the chocolate traybake
Pour the traybake batter into your prepared baking tin.
Spread the top with a spatula to make sure the top is flat and has gone into all the corners.
Bake the chocolate traybake for approximately 45 minutes. Keep checking it during the last 10 minutes. If it’s getting too dark on top, but isn’t fully cooked, cover it with foil.
It’s ready when a skewer or sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove it from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin.
Decorate the chocolate traybake
Start by making the icing: get your kids to measure the butter then put it in a pan to melt. Meanwhile measure out the cocoa powder and icing sugar.
Once the butter has melted, remove it from the heat and add the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Add the milk and stir it all together until it is smooth and shiny.
When the traybake has cooled, pour the icing over the top, spreading it out with a spatula or palette knife.
If your icing has thickened too much while you’ve waited for your cake to cool, reheat it a little to make it a bit runnier.
Decorate your traybake with sprinkles/Smarties or chocolate shavings quickly before the icing sets.
Once the icing has set, cut it into squares,
Serve and enjoy.
Chocolate traybake
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 23 x 30cm baking tin
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 250 g (2 cups) plain / all-purpose flour
- 80 g (1 cup) cocoa powder
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 300 g (1 ½ cups) soft light brown sugar
- 190 ml (¾ cups) sunflower oil
- 350 ml (1 ½ cups) milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
For the icing
- 150 g (⅔ cups) butter
- 200 g (1 cup) icing / confectioners sugar
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
Heat your oven to 180C / 160C Fan / 350F
- Grease the base and sides of a 33 x 23 cm (9 x 12 inch) baking tin with sides at least 6 cm or 2 inches high and line it with baking /greaseproof paper.
Mix the dry ingredients together
- Measure out the flour, cocoa powder and sugar and add them to a large mixing bowl.
- Measure the baking powder. Make sure to use your finger to level off the top of each tea spoon before adding it. Give it all a good mix.
Add the wet ingredients.
- Measure out the oil. The easiest way of doing this and to be really accurate is to use the ml setting of our digital scales, but if you don't have any, a measuring jug will do.
- Reset your scales to zero and measure the milk. Or, if you're using a measuring jug, you can add the milk on top of the oil until you have 540ml in total.
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl then add them to your oil/milk.
- Finally, measure in the vanilla.
Whisk the oil/milk/eggs and vanilla together.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients slowly and gently mix them in. Keep stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon until you have a nice smooth cake batter with no bits of flour showing.
Bake the chocolate traybake
- Pour the traybake batter into your prepared baking tin. Spread the top with a spatula to make sure the top is flat and has gone into all the corners.
- Bake the chocolate traybake for approximately 45 minutes. Keep checking it during the last 10 minutes. If it's getting too dark on top, but isn't fully cooked, cover it with foil.
- It's ready when a skewer or sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin.
Decorate the chocolate traybake
- Start by making the icing: measure the butter then put it in a pan to melt. Meanwhile measure out the cocoa powder and icing sugar.
- Once the butter has melted, remove it from the heat and add the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Add the milk and stir it all together until it is smooth and shiny.
- When the traybake has cooled, pour the icing over the top, spreading it out with a spatula or palette knife. If your icing has thickened too much while you've waited for your cake to cool, reheat it a little to make it a bit runnier.
- Decorate your traybake with sprinkles/Smarties or chocolate shavings quickly before the icing sets. Once the icing has set, cut it into squares, serve and enjoy.
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Similar recipes
If you liked this chocolate traybake, you might like our Biscoff millionaires shortbread other traybake recipes as well as our easy recipes for toddlers.
This recipe was first published in February 2021 and updated with new images in January 2024.
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